Messages - anniehall

I chose BLS $41K/yr plus stipend over BU 10K/yr. It was a hard choice, but a lot of people in New York seem to think I made the right one, especially since I want to do public interest work. If you wanted to work in Boston, BC has a stronger reputation than BU does there. I would imagine that in NYC BU actually carries more weight though. Cannotpick and Miss P were super helpful when I was making my decision. Ask them!

I always bake a banana bread and send it to them in a nicely wrapped package with a note (cookies also work well). That way they don't feel like there's been a transaction involved but they know I'm appreciative of their efforts.

Thanks again Miss P and Cannotpick. One more question: Is there any standard first-year schedule (i.e. mostly classes in the morning, only certain days, etc.)? I know it depends on your section, but is there a trend?

Hi! So, I'm looking at housing at BLS and it looks great, BUT I can't bring my cat. Do you know anyone who successfully or unsuccessfully brought a cat with them into housing? I know it sounds stupid, but she's a pretty extraordinary cat (special powers, etc.), as you can see from the photo.

I'm facing a similar choice of BU with $10k/yr (no obligation to repay) and BLS with the same offer that you have. Obviously Cornell is quite a bit better than BU and places much better in New York, but one of the things I've been thinking about a lot is how the knowledge of the future debt is going to make me feel (my parents are also in a similar situation to yours).

Maybe some people would say that worrying about how you are going to "feel" about your debt during law school is silly, but it is 3 years and if you are anxious for those three years you might not do as well AND you're still obligated to get a job so you can pay back your loans AND to reiterate, you will have been anxious and/or miserable for 3 years. $75K comes out to about (very roughly) $600/month for 10 years (not including interest). The amount of mental freedom Brooklyn's offer affords you should not be discounted.

For me, BLS's stipend offer really makes it hard to turn down. At first I was concerned about the cost of living in Brooklyn Heights, but the stipend offsets that. I have no stipend offer from BU and the cost of living in Boston is almost the same as NYC.

All that said, if you know you want to do firm work (i.e. "biglaw"), it seems that the clear choice is Cornell since the money concerns will be minimal in a few years and you'll have much better opportunities from Cornell. I don't think I want to do biglaw so the choice is somewhat more difficult.

EDIT: have you looked into Cornell's loan-repayment program? This would also change the equation.

Thanks Miss P! I feel super grateful for the scholarship. But now I've found out that BU is offering 10K per year too! I guess they sent a letter I never received. This makes the whole thing much more difficult, especially as BU has such a cool joint degree with the school of public health. I was all set on Brooklyn and I found this out yesterday.

Ideas anyone? It looks like my parents are willing to contribute some money to my education, so the debt coming out of BU won't be horrifying now, given the scholarship. Anyone doing the joint degree with the school of public health want to weigh in?

Any votes for BU on this board? Any and all opinions, even or especially irrational ones, are super welcome right now.

Only 40% of BU grads stay in Boston. 30% go to NY, 25% to NYC proper. The situation out of BU is not as bleak as you think.

First, thank you to everyone for answering all my questions so far; I feel very grateful for all your help.

I guess my concern is that while it might be easier to do biglaw work in NYC from BU because of on-campus recruiting, that PI work in NYC would be much harder to come by due to lack of connections in NYC. Does anyone have experience with this that could assess the validity of this concern?

Update: BLS came through with full tuition today plus 3 years guaranteed housing and they are sooo nice. BU refuses to return my phone calls and emails. I'm pretty set on Brooklyn now, but I'm going to wait a few more days. Advice? Anyone? Please help!

Yes, that is how it seems to me too. I think NYC is probably where I want to end up. I imagine it's fairly hard to be in the top 15-25% at BU and I really don't like the idea of staying in Boston. Do you think that's an accurate assessment of the situation?